From the sublime to the real world: in Dupont Circle the 25 or so galleries there will start their "First Friday" openings in February. On these "First Fridays," the galleries open their doors from 6-8 PM and wines, hors d'ouvres and refreshments are served. Put that together with the possibility to view over two dozen new art exhibits and you have the making of a great evening.

Perhaps the best two shows to look forward to in Dupont Circle are Anton Gallery's "Verticals," which features verticals pieces from the gallery artists, and a drawing group show at Addison/Ripley Gallery, which features drawings by well known masters such as Picasso, Matisse, Degas, Andrew Wyeth as well as my favorite Washington artist Manon Cleary, without a doubt one of the best artists in that medium. Upstairs from Addison/Ripley, don't miss an exhibition of some gorgeous vintage photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron, including several from the King Arthur series. For fans of folk art, don't miss Jonathan Green's prints of the Gullah people at America, Oh Yes! until March 29.

Across the city, the Georgetown galleries hold their joint openings on the third Friday of the month. Before the new Georgetown shows come up, don't miss Pat Goslee's debut at eklektikos gallery (on exhibition until Feb 19). This artist recent paintings are proof positive that some people (usually women artists) have a highly enviable ability to transmit their inside emotions, devils or angels superbly onto canvas (or in Goslee's case, sometimes wood). The work is sensitive and memorable, and with a powerful sense of sinister undertones to the imagery, dominated as it is by scary, almost macabre birds.

In Alexandria, Gallery West has photographs by Elizabeth Chucker until February 25. I really like this photographer's work. It is innovative and technically well done. Chucker, who is a recent Corcoran graduate, is already producing exceptionally creative photographs. her raw talent is vast, yet using hard work and creative technical skill rather than gimmicks or shock she delivers Gallery West's best show in a long time. Chucker's photography uses a photo-sensitive emulsion painted in broad strokes on watercolor paper. This technique, especially when done in the broad, wide strokes favored by Chucker, deliver an almost sensual surface which marry well with the subjects chosen by Chucker for this show, which include many figure studies. Although she claims that working with the figure is new for her, my favorite pieces in the show were the figure studies, especially the self portraits, which oddly enough do not look like the photographer at all, but manage to capture a rather dark mood, bordering on the erotic or the upsetting. There are flashes (pun intended) of genius here, and this is an artist to keep an eye on in the future.

The author is a regional art critic for several art magazines and local newspapers.